23rd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 8-13 September, 2002, Toronto, Canada
Paper ICAS 2002-3.8.1

TESTING OF A MODERN TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION IN ETW CLOSE TO MACH 0.9

J. Quest (1), M. C. N. Wright (1), S. Rolston (2)
(1) European Transonic Windtunnel GmbH, Germany; (2) Airbus UK, Filton, UK

Keywords: high reynolds number, transonic wind tunnel testing

The European Transonic Windtunnel (ETW) provides the capability for achieving full scale flight Reynolds numbers by testing up to high pressures (450 kPa) and cryogenic (down to 110 K) temperatures. Within the scope of the 'HiReTT' European research programme a modern transport aircraft configuration has been tested over a large range of aerodynamic conditions. 'HiReTT' is specifically devoted to gain high quality data in the high Mach number and high Reynolds number range. The programme has therefore included a sting supported test series together with a complementary series of tests using twin sting supports to accurately assess sting effects. ETW's standard twin sting rig (TSR) has been improved by developing an enhanced version (ETSR) incorporating twin six component balances. This paper describes the development and calibration of the new support system, the design and manufacture of model related components, and provides an overview of the complete programme of wind tunnel tests.

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